EPCOT’s Food and Wine Festival is in full swing, and I’ve had the chance to sample something from a good number of the countries already. But that’s not the topic of today’s post. Instead, I want to highlight another great opportunity that comes along during this festival; a wine seminar! Held in the Festival Center in Future World East, wine seminars (as well as culinary events) are a separately ticketed opportunity to sample offerings from some of the same vendors you’ll find throughout the Food and Wine Festival, as well as throughout Walt Disney World itself. This year, my husband and I made an afternoon trip in to participate in the Banfi wine seminar.
Banfi is name that many of you may know from their Italian offerings, some of which are available in the Italy pavilion. This wine seminar, however, focused on one of their other holdings, Emiliana, found in Chile. Emiliana prides itself on being an organic and biodynamic vineyard, and they showed examples of how they achieve these standards. Some interesting notes were the mobile chicken coop that can be moved around the property, allowing the chickens to range the entire property. This helps the vineyard as the chickens form one of the many chemical-free pest removal processes Emiliana uses.
Having provided that brief background, let me describe what you’re likely really interested in; the wine! We had a chance to sample three wines; a Rose, a Carmenere and a red blend. The Natura Rose, was our favorite. It was a light, crisp wine that would be perfect down here in Florida on a hot summer day. My husband and I have recently been tasting different Rose offerings, as vintners really seem to be refining these wines and producing product that is balanced and enjoyable; not too sweet, and with enough acidity to be refreshing. This one did not disappoint!
The two reds were both enjoyable, with the red blend, Coyam, being a real stand-out. This was a delicious wine, and it was obvious why it is consistently a high performer from several wine reviewers such as James Suckling. I also enjoyed the Carmenere, while my husband felt it was good, but not anything special. To each their own!
We had a great time at this tasting, and I would highly recommend taking some time to try one of these if you’ve never experienced it. It’s a separately ticketed event, and many (including this one) sell out in advance, so make sure you get those tickets early. And remember, the Food and Wine Festival is only just beginning. There is still plenty of time to plan a trip, and we expect the temperatures to begin coming down in the coming weeks. Why not drop me an email at carrie@mustlovetravel.com and we can get a quick getaway planned for you this year?
Blogger, Traveler, Wife, Runner….I’m known as many different things. But I’m here to be your Travel Professional. Ever since I was a little girl I had an interest in travel. I would collect the postcards books that my grandparents brought back to me from their travels and I kept them in a special box that I loved to pull out and flip through. As I traveled with my family I started collecting postcards on my own and pictures, maps, and other mementos of my travels.
Believe it or not, I still have those postcards and every once in awhile I’ll bring them out and flip through smiling at the memories they bring back. Although I might not collect postcards anymore I collect photos, stories and information on my travels. I love to soak up a destination, reveling in the local food life. I absolutely love sharing my travel stories, foodie moments and special encounters.